Today's set questions explore the way the strange beliefs about poetry and poets, which you have studied dating back to Sidney, underwrite various statements.
Read the following quote taken from W.H.Auden's "The Poet and the City" then write your essay on one of the following questions:
"If a poet meets an illiterate peasant, they may not be able to say much to each other ..."
A) Discuss the underlying arrogance in this statement. What does it reveal about Auden's conception of the poet and his attitude towards the 'Illiterate peasant'. You may use the word stupid in your essay.
B) Why cannot an illiterate peasant be a poet? Consider your answer carefully before you start writing.
